


It felt like... it felt wrong

by Huhsmile



Category: Karanduun (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Hurt, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27668042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huhsmile/pseuds/Huhsmile
Summary: Inday’s thoughts season 2 episode 4
Relationships: Martinday
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	It felt like... it felt wrong

In Inday’s stomach, there was a feeling she wasn’t used to experiencing. The walls have started shaking. Everything was so loud.

She was in the middle of putting herself back together after getting caught briefly by the...thing. She remembered how odd it felt to be enveloped in its many appendeges. It was wet, and yet coarse at the same time - the amalgamation of several individuals body parts moving against their will, following a will of someone not from this realm. It made Inday almost puke. Like something pretending to be human by wearing a corpse’s skin and doing a funny little dance.

Has came in clutch, bringing with him the air that only Has could ever bring. “Turuan mo’ko pano gamitin to next time ah?” he chimed in as he flew beside Inday, smile as charming as always.

A quick check of her surroundings as she reevaluates their situation: Asterio and Rosaria are preoccupied with each other; Tala is there, but is safe; Inday damaged the appendage monster, but she’s pretty sure it’s still in good shape. It’s not going down any time soon. And then there’s that corpse at the bottom of the cavern - the feeling in Inday’s stomach returned.

As an aswang who lives for the hunt, understands the cycle of predator and prey, it took a while for Inday to internalize what this feeling in her stomach was. It wasn’t her survival insticts, it wasn’t fear of dying, no. It was terror. Inday felt terror.

Inday knew that if she died at that moment in time, that would be the least of their poblems, because what would come after her death would be so much worse.

Inday struggled to bite down the fear that was making its way up to her mouth. But before she could process the weight that’s on all of their shoulders at that time, Duran was there.

Duran was always there.

“Malamang, archangel yun eh.” she recalled Duran’s voice that night he saved them from Laila’s rampage in the red light district of Maharlika. Inday started crying out of frustration, feeling like her fee to keep living in the Kampanaryo’s quarters was a heavy toll for just one girl. The rest of the Hiraya comforted her, and Duran was logical and straight to the point, but bought them tapsilog anyway.

“May nakalusot, tatlo” Inday said, the day they arrived back from the island after rescuing Asterio and Has. Duran looked to have swallowed the information. Inday, at that moment, realized that was the first time she’d confided in Duran. In her bones, she just knew that Duran would do whatever he could to keep all of them safe. And so, there she was, divulging information only she knew, information that could potentially save the world. And the person she chose to trust with this was Duran.

After that, he invited her to grab a coffee. And just like that, just like all other moments, Duran made everything feel like they were manageable. It was as if Duran had some sort of effect of being able to takie the world’s problems off of the team’s shoulders, and carrying them on his own.

A burst of fire shot up from above as Inday flew within the cavern. It was so hot, it felt like a thousand suns as it shot past. Immediately, Inday knew this was Duran before even looking at its form.

Inday heard Tala start screaming. Inday’s senses were on overload, and she was struggling to figure out what was happening. All she knew was that the pit in her stomach had never left, and for some reason it felt bigger, emptier, and scarier.

She felt a tug on her arm from a hand she’s never acquaintaed herself with before. She looked to find the wakwak staring down at her and her friends, urging them to move. To fucking move.

“Sumama kayo sakin, bilis.” he commanded. His face was stern, but Inday could also see the pit in his own stomach, and hear the fear in his own voice.

He didn’t wait. He pulled Inday, and tugged on Has to follow. As they made their way back up the cavern, heat radiating from Duran below, Inday could hear him, and it scared her that she knew she was hearing him for the last time.

“Alagaan niyo ang isa’t-isa, protektahan niyo ang isa’t isa.” Duran’s voice echoed through the cavern. It sounded like the final toll of a bell, the last sentence in a novel. It sounded like a goodbye.  
—-

The group crashed into the Kampanaryo cemetery, just as the cave collapsed in on itself. Debris and smoke filled the air as Duran used the last of his powers to protect them.

Inday’s breathing was heavy as she processed where they were and what exactly happened. Her gaze landed on Martinez, and she immediately acted upon her anger, walked over and grabbed the neckline of his shirt.

“Ba’t pinigilan mo kame!” she shouted at him. He deserved none of this.

He laughed in his spot, sounding just as broken as she did. “Ngayon ko na nga lang sinundan yung utos ni kuya, kukunin mo pa yun sakin?” he asked her, taunting. As if to say ‘what did you want me to do?’

Inday knew that conversation wasn’t going anywhere. Inday knew getting angry wasn’t going to help. Inday knew the boy was just doing what he was told, despite his own heart screaming at him. Inday knew just how convincing Duran can be. Inday knew that if she was placed in the same situation, she wouldn’t have been able to say no either.

And hearing Martinez call Duran “kuya” reminded her that Duran was just as his as he was theirs. And they, she, let him die.

Her grip on Martinez’s shirt loosened, but stayed where it was. She felt useless. So she said the only thing she could to the wakwak who risked his own undead skin to follow Duran’s last order and keep them alive.

“Patawad” she whispered, like a prayer. At that point she wasn’t sure if she was talking to Martinez or Duran.

Inday heard Has from afar shouting into the ground. Frustrated at how his Guardsman’s Bond wouldn’t work on either Duran or Asterio, or even Rosaria. She heard the ground being dug up as Has started clwaing his way back through the cave that wasn’t there anymore. “Bakit ayaw gumana? Bakit ayaw gumana? Bakit ayaw gumana?” Inday heard Has break.

Inday could hear Tala move towards where Has was and start wailing. It never sat right her how a voice so beautiful could be torn so far from how they usually sound as she cried into the sky. “Wala na sila.” she chanted, half as a statement, half as if she was trying to make herself believe it. She mentioned how they lost Duran, Rosaria, and Asterio in just that short span of time.

Rosaria and Asterio, surely they would’ve protected Duran right? If there was anybody who could take a hit, Rosaria would be the best choice. And Asterio? Sure he’s difficult to work with, but he could have come up with some way to keep the team hidden if in a bad spot.

Inday straightened herself, and walked towards where the cave didn’t exist anymore. Inday considered her options - No, there’s no other entrances. Maybe she could Guardsman’s bond with one of them? She was still on good terms with Rosaria, right? It would work? Ah, shit. No, she couldn’t see her. It wouldn’t work.

Inday kicked the ground.

“Putangama.”

She turned her attention back to Martinez, whom as Samiel mentioned, was the catalyst to the corpses moving. She trudged back into his space.

“Oi, ano bang meron dun sa mga kamay na yun? Balita ko ikaw may kasalanan nun ah?” she shouted with venom. For the second time in the span of 5 minutes.

Martinez looked pissed. He wanted to match her venom, and he did. “Tangina,” he started. “Ako talaga pinaglalabasan mo ng galet ‘no, ganda?” he asked, sarcastically, expecting Inday to be the type of person not to back down.

So it surprised him when she did. Immediately.

“Pasensya.” she started, and looked down in shame. She knew he didn’t deserve this, she knew if anybody was at fault, it was her, for attempting to keep fighting that thing given the cards they were dealing with. She was careless, she was... stupid.

“Pasensya,” she repeated. “pero andun pa yung mga kaibigan ko.” It seemed like she actually wanted a two-way conversation this time, and so Martinez dropped the venom, and let her continue.

“Baka...baka si Duran andun pa? Hindi ko alam.” it sounded like she was holding on to hope that she knew not to hold onto. Martinez panicked as he realized the figure in front of him started shedding tears as she spoke.

Her shoulders crumpled, and her filter was gone. All she could say was what came at the top of her mind, “Hindi ko alam. Wala akong magawa.” her voice started cracking as her sobs affected her speech. She didn’t know what to do with her hands, her wings, her being. She didn’t know what she could do.

“May pakpak nga ako, wala naman akong mapuntahan.” she whimpered, as if resigning to her uselessness.

She knew they had lost Duran, and for some reason the world felt bigger, emptier, and scarier.

**Author's Note:**

> ):


End file.
